YouTube is a social network unlike any else: it allows users to share videos ranging from short and informative to in-depth and thought provoking. As a small business owner, you can harness the power of YouTube to add to your brand, expand your name and appeal to your customer base.

Why Make YouTube Videos?

First, and possibly most compelling, is that YouTube allows you to monetize your videos. The earnings are small at first and based on viewership of each video, but if you build up a good body of work and promote yourself accordingly, you can increase your earnings. While making YouTube videos isn’t likely to allow you to quit being an electrician, a few extra dollars each month from royalties is a few extra bucks you wouldn’t have had to reinvest in your business.

Beyond the obvious advantage of royalties, YouTube is a powerful marketing tool. By creating videos relevant to your trade, you increase your potential client base. Each person who views a video you create is a potential new client. While many users are firmly in the DIY set, there are those who won’t hesitate to contact you if they can’t figure out how to do something. Because it was your video they viewed, your name and contact information is right at their fingertips.

YouTube helps build your brand. By offering unique, quality and valuable content in video format, you can add video marketing and tutorials to your resume of skills. Not every electrician is on YouTube, so being able to say “if you need to do this, see my YouTube channel” sets you apart.

What Should I Put on YouTube?

You have a valuable set of skills that you worked hard to earn. The most obvious choice for YouTube content is to share some of that knowledge. Whether it’s how to wire a lamp for hobbyist crafters to basic electrical safety, you can offer information that’s relevant to your business, digestible by and useful to the general public and that supplements, rather than detracts from, your income stream.

Think of some topics that the general public would like to know about electrical work or pull from questions you get asked frequently. You can also utilize a list of trending search terms to come up with fresh and exciting topics to cover in your videos.

Are There Any Drawbacks to YouTube Demos?

As a trained professional, you know how to complete a job safely and efficiently. You are an expert in your field. The person searching for your YouTube videos has little to no knowledge of the topic at hand and is looking to you for help.

As such, you need to be mindful that those viewing your videos might not know even the most basic safety procedures, like unplugging an appliance before opening it up. Make it clear that viewers who attempt your tutorials or utilize your information do so at their own risk and of their own free will. While a disclaimer alone won’t necessarily absolve you of fault in a court case should something go wrong, it does provide some amount of protection and acts as a deterrent for people who aren’t confident in their skills.

The other disadvantage of creating YouTube demos is that you’re practically giving away information. A customer or client who would call you for advice on how to wire in a USB wall socket, for example, would instead just view your demo video and try it themselves. While giving away information might seem counter-intuitive to running a small business, it actually grants larger returns in marketing benefits – you’re a familiar face, you obviously know what you’re talking about and you have the ability to explain it to a layperson.

Creating YouTube Demos for Electricians

To create a decent YouTube demo, you need a working camera with the ability to record video. This can be a camcorder, phone camera or webcam, as long as the quality it renders doesn’t leave you too grainy or pixelated. You don’t need cinematic quality, but viewers need to be able to see what you’re showing them.

You’ll also need a microphone, computer, an Internet connection and video editing software. If you’re unsure how to get started, plenty of content marketing experts offer tutorials on how to edit for and upload videos to YouTube.

Ideally, you’ll be able to share videos on your website, Facebook page and other social media sites to increase your viewership and get your messages to a wider audience.

Speak clearly and plainly when creating your video and demonstrate as much as possible as often as possible. The whole point of YouTube demos are to create visuals that explain things in such a way that words might fail. So don’t just tell visitors to unhook the ground wire in a project, show them which one it is and how to do it. Viewers will emulate your movements and methods, so work safely.

Is Making YouTube Demos Worth it?

You probably won’t get rich on the royalties from your YouTube DIY tutorials, but you’ll earn a few extra dollars. Beyond that, though, YouTube is a valuable marketing and brand enhancement tool that sets you apart from your competitors. You have the ability to share your skills and knowledge in a visual format – customers will recognize you and get to know your personality in the process.